Maurice vebgnes



M. VERGNES.

Portable Piano Forte;

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I 22 3. I ?WWW/WWW@ /////////////////////////////Z[/ Patented June 21, 1864.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAURICE VERGNES, OF NEVY YORK, N. Y.

PORTABLE PIANO-FORTE.

Specificaiion forning part ofLetters Patcnt No. 43.215, dated June 21, 1864.

TO all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURIcn VERGNES,

T R and roaching to the pedal action to lift all of the city, county, and State of New York, 1

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable Piano-Fortes; and I hereby dei make and use my invention, I proceed to dei scribe its Construction and operation, reference being had to the drawings hereunto annexed, and naking part of this specification. Reference is had to one sheet of designs.

ment; Fig. 2, a plan of the same, showing the iron frame and one string; Fig. 3, a dagram, representing a section, full size, through the piano, perpendicular at front, and showing a 1 key and the whole action, and parts which l that the hammer, carried still further by its form the subject of this application.

The same letters refer to the same things in all the designs.

hinges the key; G, the front board, against the bottom of which rises the key, flannel or proper stuffing being nterposed to prevent jar or sound in the contact; D, gunrelastic band upon the rear end of each key to restore it to its position after the touch E, a stern of wood of peculiar form which bears directly upon the heel of the hammer; F and G, the two ends of a gum-elastic band attached to the heel of the hammer to restore it to its position above the string; H, point of contact of the stem E with the heel of the hammer at the commencement of its stroke; H', the distance or rea'ch of the stem in the stroke of the key; I, a screw; K, a curve in the side of the stem E; L, a toe or point belonging to the hammer, whose office is to raise the damper N at the time of the stroke; M, the lever Operating the damper; N, the stem on which the damper is placed; O, the pivot of the hammer; P, the sten pivot ot' the damper; q, a gum-elastic band giving the required p: essure on the string from the damper R, a bar lying along the interior of the front of the instrument, under the edge ot' which all the levers M of the dampers are held; S, a gum elastic band, which holds in place and restores to its place the bar R T, pivot of the bar; V, a leather band attached to the bar the dampers; Z, the string.

The purpose of this invention is to make a piano of small size which will yet have suf ficient sound for parlor uses. The whole ac- 1 tion is Situated in front, and occupies about j a foot in depth.

In this instrument the strings are fastcned at the front upon iron frames, as usual, so that the stroke of the hammer is made on them sufficiently near the bearing.

The action is peculiar in some respects.

i The impulse upon the key through the sten Figure 1 is a front elevation of the instru- E gives a sudden and quick stroke of the i hammer upon the string. The stem E, passing down to the point F, having slid on the curved upper surface of the heel of the hammer out to the end, (where it is at the time momentum, strikes the string.) is here released, and the ham mer recoils from the string,

* the point of the heel rising a little into the Arepresents the key; B, guide-stems to hold the key in place; B', pivot-stern on which curve K, and the hammer rests until the key is relieved of pressure. Then the sten draws past the heel, and then the gum-elastic band F Gr elevates the hammer to its former position. The result of this action is to give a quick, sharp stroke of the hammer with but little movement of the key, and to catch the recoil by means of the curve K in the stem, leaving a pure and unencumbered sound of the string.

The movement downward of the hammer presses the toe L upon the lever M, and lit'ts the damper at the proper time from the string and holds it above the string until the key is relieved of pressure. Then the hammer rises to its place and the damper falls on the string, and is held there with a force proportioned to the power of the gum-elastic band q.

To regulate the effect of the stem E on the heel of the hammer, there is a screw, I, which holds the bar or piece to which the hammer is pivoted. This screw fits into a slightlyelongatcd hole in the piece to which the hammer is pivoted, and admits of making a slight change in its position forward or back, and thus allows of an earlier or later disengagcment of the propulsive force through the sten E from the heel of the hammer.

What l. claim as my invention, and desirc to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'1. Placing the hammer under the key to leave more room for the sounding-bozrd, in the manner substantally as above described.

2. The arrengcment of the stem E with the curved hee] of the h-mmer to make a quick stroke uponthe string, in the manner de- Serbed.

3. The curve K, made in the stem, into which the point of the heel of the hammer catehes, in the manner described, and for the purposes set forth.

4. The projeetio L on the hammer, in combination With the lever M, to mise the damper at the proper time.

5. Sustaining the hammer in its position ready for the stroke by a band of gam-elastie, placed in the manner described. t

M. VERGNES.

Witnesses OWEN Gr. WARREN, J. D. STURTEVANT. 

